23 killed in fire on board Philippine ferry
At least 23 people have died and at least 86 others are injured after a fire on board a ferry in the central Philippines today.
At least 32 of the 290 passengers on the MV Maria Carmela are still missing after the blaze broke out at around 7am local time near the port city of Lucena. Search-and-rescue operations are continuing.
Survivors said the fire started with an explosion in the cargo hold and spread quickly as the passengers jostled for lifejackets. The 680-ton ship had left the island of Masbate around 11 hours earlier and was just one hour from Lucena when the fire broke out.
